About UsConnOTA was founded by Kathryn Root, the organization's first president, in 1923. Since its beginning, ConnOTA has spread to hundreds of practitioners statewide to support them in their practice on the clinical and legislative tiers. Our mission is to protect and promote Occupational Therapy while providing for our members. As an inclusive profession, Occupational Therapy maximizes health, well-being and quality of life for all people, populations and communities through effective solutions that facilitates participation in everyday living.
Board MembersAmy Burton, OTD, OTR/L (2024-2026)
President
Amy is proud to serve ConnOTA and her professional community as President, starting in July 2024. She has served on the ConnOTA board for several terms, first as the Member for Professional Development (MPD), organizing and hosting conferences. This included a quick switch to virtual conferences at the onset of COVID-19 and collaborating with State Association conference teams to troubleshoot the survival of conferences during a pandemic. After her tenure as the MPD, Amy served as the ConnOTA Vice President, collaborating with and mentoring newer Board members, helping with operations, and stepping in to support the President, when needed.
Outside of ConnOTA, Amy is the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Western New England University. She is a certified yoga instructor and uses this as a way to support student mental health and wellbeing at work. She has committed her career to the area of pediatrics and has conducted much of her research on inter-professional practice and social and emotional learning for individuals in preschool through adult hood.
Corrin Campbell, BS, COTA/L (2020-2024) Past President
Corrin, the first COTA/L to be elected as ConnOTA President, has practiced in areas from home health to subacute to outpatient to Geri-psych and more. In every setting, she zeroes in on maximizing each client's level of function. After nearly a decade in the clinical settings, she took on higher education, supporting many students as an instructor, Fieldwork Coordinator, and Program Director. Though she continues to support former and current students, she has since returned to work with persons experiencing changes in cognition. Her desire to stay current with treatment and policy trends has driven her to attend ConnOTA and AOTA, topic-specific, and ALC and NEOTEC conferences, as well as present to the Alzheimer’s Association and other medical groups on identifying and treating changes in cognition as early as possible. She has also partnered with Dr. Margarita Reyes for her yearly education series. In addition to her COTA licensure, Corrin has received formal training in dementia care, vestibular rehab, cardiac rehab, and low vision. Corrin holds a BS in Early Childhood Development from Charter Oak College and an AAS in Occupational Therapy Assisting from Briarwood College.
Carol G. Potter, OTR/L, BCG, CAPS (July 2024 - July 2026)
Carol is a highly dedicated occupational therapist with extensive experience as a clinician, consultant, director, and educator, both in-patient and out-patient. She moved to Connecticut in 2023 from the Seattle, Washington area. Before living in Washington State, she lived in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, where she began her career in OT. Carol received her B.S. in O.T. from Tufts University – Boston School of Occupational Therapy.Treasurer Carol served on the Executive Board of the Washington Occupational Therapy Association as Treasurer-Elect, Treasurer, M.A.L.– Audit, and was the LCC Promotions Chair for the AOTA 2000 National Conference in Seattle WA. She was a member of the Executive Board of the Westchester District – New York State Occupational Therapy Association, where she served as Treasurer and Co-Chair of the Legislation Committee.
Carol is on-call to provide remote Telehealth OT services for the Full Life Care – Adult Day Health program in Seattle, WA. She is currently setting up her private practice in Madison. Carol has AOTA Board Certification in Gerontology and is a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist through the National Association of Home Builders.
Kristina Cuoco, MS, MOTR/L, CBIS (July 2022-2024) Secretary
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Kristina completed her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Quinnipiac University in 2009. Kristina has invested many years into working with older adults in the skilled nursing setting and becoming a skilled rehabilitation director; currently, she focuses on mental health and adults with acquired brain injuries, earning her credentials as a certified brain injury specialist.
Joyce E Rioux, EdD, OTR/L, SCSS, FAOTA (2023-2025)
Member for Government Affairs Co-Chair
Joyce is a related service consultant at Capitol Region Education Council with more than 35 years experience in school system practice and a passionate advocate for occupational therapy practice. She facilitates a statewide community of practice for school occupational therapy practitioners in collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education and RESC Alliance. At the national level, Dr. Rioux is chair of the AOTA’s advisory Commission on Continuing Competence and Professional Development and actively monitors trends in occupational therapy practice, co-authors Official Documents, and addresses concerns about continuing competence and professional development. Dr. Rioux presents at local, state, and national conferences on topics specific to school therapy practice, advocacy, and professional development.
Dr. Latasha R. Dionne, OT, OTD, OTR/L is an assistant professor at Springfield College, her alma mater. She earned her occupational therapy doctorate degree from Bay Path University in 2019. Latasha has 10 years of clinical occupational therapy experience in various pediatric settings, including early intervention, school-based practice, and outpatient sensory-based clinics. Latasha's areas of interest include cultural competence in healthcare and education, occupational justice, health disparities experienced by underserved populations, ethical concepts pertaining to occupational therapy practice, and exploring gaps in occupational therapy practice and education.
Anne Koba, MS, OTR/L (2024-2026)
Membership Chair
Anne has over 30 years of experience in occupational therapy. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac University, and a Master’s of Science in Special Education with a concentration in Assistive Technology from Southern Connecticut State University. She has practiced in both school-based and early intervention settings where she has supported clients with inclusion and independence in their natural roles, routines and settings. She values team collaboration, and client-centered practice. Anne has also worked as a staff supervisor mentoring both occupational and physical therapists in school-based practice. Currently Anne is employed as a full-time assistant professor at the University of Hartford in the Occupational Therapy Program. She embraces her work as a teacher and mentor as she helps others grow in their occupational therapy practice. Specializing in the areas of: Occupation-based practice, Assistive technology, Emotional regulation, Sensory processing, Motor development, Teaching and learning, Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Maureen Leyes, M.Ed., COTA/L (2023-2025)
Membership Chair
Maureen currently serves as a professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at CT State Manchester, with a passion for raising up the next generation of occupational therapy practitioners as holistically as possible. She has clinical experience in physical rehabilitation and works per diem at Mount Sinai Rehab Hospital’s inpatient setting
Committee Member BiosGus Schlegel, MPS, OT/L
SIS Co-Chair
Gus is a professor and doctoral candidate at Sacred Heart University. Since 2008, he has worked in Haiti to support the healthcare system in the rural community of L’Acul, where he co-leads service learning and mission trips for graduate occupational therapy students, raises funds for the a clinic operated by the Bon Samaritan School, and consults on programs ranging from school lunch to reforestation. His past work in Haiti included reopening a medical clinic and co-founding an occupational therapy clinic. Prior to his work in Haiti, Gus owned a therapy company. During Operation Desert Storm, he served as Company Commander, Occupational Therapy Assistant, where he helped develop the combat stress doctrine. Gus holds a Master’s degree in Professional Students and a B.S. in Occupational Therapy. Terese Betts, MS, OTR/L, RYT SIS Co-Chair
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Terese Betts has over 12 years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist working primarily in school settings with preschool through high school-aged students with disabilities. She earned a Master of Science degree in occupational therapy from Howard University in Washington, DC, and a post-professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate from New York University. Dr. Betts' passion lies in facilitating engagement in leisure and social participation in community settings for youths with disabilities by addressing complex needs and social determinants of health. Terese is a 200-Hour RYT and shares her passion for yoga with the youth population in community settings. She enjoys spending time with her boys, playing with her dog, reading books, and attending yoga retreats.
Tessa Boston, MOT, OTR/L
Member for Professional Development
Tessa earned her master’s degree from Saint Louis University in 2017. She is an occupational therapist with the Yale University School of Medicine, working on the Young Adult Services team at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. She also coordinates the Level II Fieldwork programming at her site and supports transitional housing programs facilitate independent living for young adults. Tessa is pursuing her ScD in Occupational Science at Towson University, with research interests in occupational justice and community participation for individuals with serious mental illness.
Jaimee Hegge, OTD, OTR/L, CKTP
Member for Professional Development
Jaimee has practiced as an occupational therapist since 2012 and teaches adult and geriatric physical rehabilitation in the Graduate Occupational Therapy Program at Sacred Heart University as a Clinical Assistant Professor. She received her Master of Science in OT degree from Sacred Heart University in 2012 and her Post-Professional Doctoral degree from St. Catherine University in 2018. She grounds her expertise in physical rehabilitation with focuses on home health, ergonomics, and pelvic floor dysfunction. She is also a Certified Kinesio Tape Practitioner.
Anne Graikoski, MS, OTR/L
Member for Public Affairs
Anne has been licensed and practicing in occupational therapy for 3 years. She received her bachelor’s degree at UConn with a major in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. She earned her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from the University of New England in Portland, Maine, and began her clinical career at a dementia specialty SNF in Boston, MA. Her current role is non-traditional and focuses on supporting the caretakers of dementia patients in long-term care, and plans to begin practice in home care as well, working towards becoming a Skills2Care® certified practitioner. Anne is excited to connect with ConnOTA members through social media platforms. Her hope is to demonstrate the value of state association membership and support the job shadow and mentoring programs ConnOTA offers.
Judi Sheehan, OTR/L, CFo
Historian
Judi has extensive experience with ConnOTA as the Historian (since 2000) and has served two terms as President (2016-2020), and as Vice President, (2010-2014) where she was instrumental in facilitating many major organizational improvements. She has assisted or held the chair position for the annual Spring Conferences for over 17 years. ConnOTA has awarded her with the Award of Service, the Award of Merit, and the President’s award. She has a passion for ConnOTA and ensuring that the organization continues to remain a strong and innovative organization where the state’s Occupational Therapists can share their ideas and skills and utilize its growing resources to further their work in the state.
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